Tag: Terry Pegula

NFL owners approve Buffalo Bills adding limited partners

NFL owners approve Buffalo Bills adding limited partners

The Buffalo Bills announced that a group of limited owners have joined the team’s ownership table alongside Terry Pegula after months of speculation surrounding the topic.

It is the first time the franchise has done so.

According to the announcement, the combined total amount of limited ownership stake sold was 20 percent.

Reports of Pegula selling a minority stake dates back to this past offseason. According to the Buffalo News, The Dallas private equity firm Arctos is believed to be the biggest investor with around 10 percent.

In addition, a group led by Tom Burger which includes a few former professional athletes who all spent time playing their sport in Toronto includes Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and Jozy Altidore.

Multiple of the new owners, including the trio of athletes, have been spotted at Bills game during the 2024 season.

The full list of minority ownership additions announced by the Bills can be found below:

Report: Terry Pegula to sell minority stake in Bills

Report: Terry Pegula to sell minority stake in Bills

Terry Pegula is going to sell the Buffalo Bills… but just a small piece.

According to Sports Business Journal, Pegula is going to unload about a 20 percent portion of the Bills franchise.

Per the report, multiple business executives have struck an agreement to buy a 10.6 percent stake. Reportedly private equity firm Arctos Partners will take 10 percent as part of the deal.

Pegula had reportedly been interested in sell a portion of the team going back to at least the spring.

According to Sportico, the Bills are currently valued around $5 billion. Pegula originally purchased the team in 2014 for $1.4B.

The Buffalo News added that the potential minority stake sale is on the agenda for the NFL’s finance committee meeting this week.

“Our focus has been on finding the right partners for our organization,” the Bills said in a statement. “The process is ongoing, and any potential investor cannot be confirmed or finalized until it is approved by the NFL.”

SBJ indicated that potential minority stake buyers of the Bills include:

  • Rob Palumbo (5.6%), co-managing partner of the private equity firm Accel-KKR
  • A group led by Theresia Gouw (2%), co-founder and managing partner of the venture firm Acrew Capital;
  • Sue McCollum (1.7%), CEO/owner of alcohol distributors Eagle Brand Sales and Double Eagle Distributing.
  • A group led by Tom Burger (1.4%), the co-founder and managing partner of Gridiron Capital. Burger’s group includes a trio of retired athletes who played in nearby Toronto — Jozy Altidore, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady — whose pending purchase of Bills stakes had previously been reported by Sportico.

Bills Wire will provide further updates as information is made available.

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Bills release statement on former athlete group potentially buying stake in team

Bills release statement on former athlete group potentially buying stake in team

The Buffalo Bills have released a statement regarding a potential sale of a minority stake in the team following a report on Tuesday which indicated that might happen.

According to Sportico, a few former star athletes in Jozy Altidore, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady are interested. The trio were recently spotted at the Bills’ “Monday Night Football” matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In the release, it was noted that owner Terry Pegula and his family is committed to keeping the team in western New York. No worries there.

But there was an admission that there has been some research into the possibility of this happening. There was no mention of any specific buyers, though.

The release can be found below:

WATCH: Bills’ new Highmark Stadium under the lights

WATCH: Bills’ new Highmark Stadium under the lights

The Official Buffalo Bills social media accounts posted new content about the ongoing construction of the new Highmark Stadium. This time, the drone footage gives fans a nighttime viewing of the progress.

Take a look as the drone guides you in, above, and around the new stadium which is on track to open for the 2026 NFL season:

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Kim Pegula makes first public appearance at Bills training camp (video)

A nice moment for the #Bills:

In a wonderful and positive surprise, Kim Pegula made her first public appearance since 2022 at Buffalo Bills training camp on Friday.

Accompanied by her husband and team owner, Terry Pegula, she helped the team break their usual huddle at the end of practice.

Kim, 55, had a cardiac arrest episode in 2022. She had only previously watched training camp practices from an SUV on the side of the field since then. Heading out to the huddle was the first true public appearance.

It was later revealed that the initial health scare has led to other problems for Pegula, including brain and memory loss issues.

Players and coaches were eager to welcome her to the group.

The team went on to share video of the moment to social media which can be found below:

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Report: Pegula family exploring selling minority-stake ownership of the Bills

Report: Pegula family exploring selling minority-stake ownership of the #Bills:

Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula is reportedly looking to sell a minority stake in the team.

According to The Athletic, the Pegulas could end up selling up to 25 percent of the club and the Bills have since gone on to confirm the report:

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The team released a statement, saying the following:

“The Pegula family has retained Allen & Company to explore the potential sale of a non-controlling, minority interest in the Bills,’ the team said Friday in a statement. ‘These discussions only involve the Bills and no other team. No investment would be possible without Terry Pegula and the Pegula family maintaining a controlling interest in the team. Their continued commitment to Western New York, the new Highmark Stadium, our fans and the other teams in their portfolio remains unchanged.’

‘Neither the team nor the Pegula family are able to comment further at this point.’

In any sale, the Pegulas would still maintain a controlling interest in the club. The exact percentage that could be sold is not yet set in stone.

According to Forbes, the estimated value of the Bills is $3.7 billion.

Bills Wire will provide future updates as information is made available.

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Pete Guelli named new COO for Bills (and Sabres)

Pete Guelli named new COO for #Bills (and #Sabres):

Pete Guelli has been named the new chief operating officer of the Buffalo Bills… and, for those curious, the COO of the Buffalo Sabres as well.

Guelli, 59, previously worked from 1998 to 2009 as President of Business ventures for the Bills and is a Rochester native. In addition, he has held roles with the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets and NFL’s New York Giants.

Guelli will oversee the business operations for the Bills and Sabres. General manager Brandon Beane will still be in charge of football operations.

According to a new release, Josh Dziurlikowski, who was serving as the interim COO of the Bills, was named senior vice president of finance and business operations of the Bills.

Team owner Terry Pegula released this statement on the Guelli hire:

“I’d first like to thank Josh and Rob (Minter–Buffalo Sabres) for their outstanding work and leadership as interim COO’s. It was a challenging transition and period for each of them and we are fortunate to be able to retain them in other leadership roles within each organization.”

“It was hard not to be impressed with the experience and overall business acumen of Pete Guelli. The New York market is the largest in our country and highly competitive and he did an outstanding job on all levels of their business operation.

“His work in helping turn around the Charlotte Hornets franchise in the NBA was remarkable. He is a proven leader with tremendous skills and experience in the sports business landscape. With the upcoming changes on the way in both team’s venues, we are happy to have Pete to help lead our teams.”

Guelli replaces John Roth as COO, who was fired in October 2023.

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How did the Bills grade out in the NFLPA player survey?

How did the #Bills grade out in the NFLPA player survey?

The NFL Players Association released their second annual Player Team Report Card.

The process involves players submitting their grades on several factors relating to teams. It’s all done anonymously.

Overall, the Buffalo Bills ranked 11th. Last year, the Bills were in ninth.

A total of 1,706 NFL players participated in the survey.

Overall, the top-five teams were the Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars. The bottom five were the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, the Los Angeles Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Commanders.

Per the NFLPA, players noted Buffalo struggled in team travel, lack of training staff and dietitian/nutrition.

Here’s how the Bills fared, grade-by-grade, during the 2024 player survey:

Report: Bills fire newly hired COO John Roth, SVP Kathryn D’Angelo

#Bills fire newly hired COO John Roth, SVP Kathryn D’Angelo:

Buffalo Bills team owner Terry Pegula, who also owns the area’s professional hockey team in the NHL the Buffalo Sabres, has fired chief operating officer John Roth and senior vice president Kathryn D’Angelo. They both held positions relating to the two teams.

The pair were let go only months after they were appointed to their positions in a shakeup of the front offices.

The Athletic reported that the reasoning for the firing was romantic relationship between Roth and D’Angelo which was deemed professionally unethical.

According to the Buffalo News, Josh Dziurlikowski, a person also promoted a few months ago, was named interim COO. Longtime Bills executive Jim Overdorf will serve as the interim legal counsel.

Both outlets noted that replacements will be searched for from outside the organization.

Bills Wire will provide future updates when information is made available.

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Bills’ Sean McDermott defends Terry Pegula in wake of racial accusations in lawsuit

What Sean McDermott said about Terry Pegula in wake of racial accusations in lawsuit:

Bills head coach Sean McDermott is often the mouth of the organization.

Even in the face of a racial lawsuit sent to the NFL which named team owner Terry Pegula.

Former NFL Media reporter Jim Trotter filed the lawsuit which stated Pegula said Black players should “go back to Africa and see how bad it is.” The Bills owner was said to have made the remark in a critical manner when discussing past and potentially future player protests conducted to shed light on racial and social injustices.

The lawsuit was revealed on Tuesday. Pegula released a statement denying the accusation.

One day later, McDermott was the first person in the Bills organization to go to the podium for a press conference and he was asked about it right away.

The coach defended the team owner, saying that comments in the lawsuit are not representative of “the man I know.”

McDermott’s full comments can be found in the Bills Live clip below:

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